Unexpected Survivors
by TeamEponine
Summary: Eponine and Enjolras manage to survive the events of the barricade. When Val Jean rescues them, they are brought to 55 Rue Plumet to heal. Marius and Cosette are in the midst of wedding plans, but the reappearance of the unexpected survivors might change everything. R&Rs are welcome! Obviously AU. Based on the musical only, not the book. EponinexMarius EnjolrasxCosette
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Eponine jerked awake, and for a moment she didn't remember where she was or what had happened. But it all came rushing back to her soon enough. But wait- wasn't she supposed to be dead? Didn't she die in Monsieur Marius' arms after being shot-?

She lifted her hand, which she was starting to notice was still throbbing with pain, and stared at the bullet hole that was in it. With her other hand, she groped the front of her blouse, which was still soaked with blood. Just as she thought. The bullet had missed her heart, and had passed through her shoulder instead. She was by no means all right, but she would live.

She suddenly sat up, only taking a second to grimace in pain. What had become of Monsieur Marius? She made herself stand, then wished she hadn't as she looked around. Bodies littered the barricades. Not one was moving. As she limped along, she had passed by the lifeless bodies of the entire ABC revolutionaries. Grantaire, Combeferre, Courfeyrac,and... she stifled a gasp of pain and despair. Her little brother, Gavroche... dead. Oh, how she wished she had done more for him, her brother. She bent down and kissed his forehead in farewell, before having to move on.

Her heart grew a tad lighter as time passed and she didn't see Monsieur Marius' body, though it depressed her that the cause her love had so valiantly fought for had failed, not to mention all the deaths that had occurred. As she was mulling this over, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around and stared in the direction she thought she had seen it.

It was one of the bodies! She wasn't the only one to have survived after all! She rushed over to it, and found Enjolras stirring- feebly, but alive. She placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "Monsieur... Are you all right?"

Eponine immediately kicked herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course he wasn't all right! He leg was twisted in an unnatural position, and a gunshot wound was still bleeding from his arm. She looked down at the revolutionaries face as he blinked up at her.

"Miss Eponine? I-I saw you die in Marius' arms! How-"

"The bullet missed my heart. I must have just passed out from the pain."

"Is Marius all right? Did any others survive?" Enjolras inquired next. Eponine's heart contracted as she answered.

"None of the others survived, save for me and you. As for Monsieur Marius, I do not know. All I know is, I haven't run across his body in the time I have been conscious."

Enjolras sagged under the weight of the news of the ABC's demise. "I was so sure the people would rise with us- how could they abandon us to this fate, when we were fighting for them?"

Eponine looked at him in sympathy. "They found it too dangerous, Monsieur. You were up against the might of France. They knew that if they fought and lost, their families would be the ones who would pay. Don't think too badly of them, sir."

Enjolras nodded slowly at this new take on the situation. "Maybe you are right, Miss Eponine. But think of it- Marius must be alive! Otherwise, you would surely have run across his body by now!"

Eponine shuddered once at the thought, but then replied, "Yes, running across Monsieur Marius' body would- would make this so much worse. It would make it unbearable, in fact." She said the last part in a whisper. She sank into a sitting position next to Enjolras as the pain of her shoulder and hand wounds racked through her.

"Are you all right, Miss Eponine?"

"Yes." She panted. "Although neither of us will be if we don't get medical care soon. But we can't very well get up and look for some either." She shot him a look. "And don't call me 'Miss'."

Enjolras look at her strangely and opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, a beacon of light passed over them.

'We're over here!" Enjolras yelled desperately, right before Eponine clapped a hand over his mouth."Shhhh!" she hissed.

Enjolras pushed her hand off his mouth, sputtering in protest. "What was that for? Whoever holds that light could save us from the infernal waiting around to die!"

"Maybe, but only if they're friendly!" Eponine retorted. "They could just as easily be here to loot dead bodies! And in that case, they'd just as soon as kill us as get us help!"

Enjolras had the good grace to look sheepish. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Well, you weren't raised to think like that. Not like I was." Eponine added darkly. Suddenly, she stiffened and used a word definitely not fit for a lady. "It doesn't matter! They've seen us!"

Both Eponine and Enjolras sat tensed, hoping against hope that whoever that held that light was friendly, and would help them get to a doctor before it was too late.

**Okay, just now realized what a pain French words and names are to spell. And they say ENGLISH is weird? :D Anyway, R&R's are welcome and appreciated! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

As the stranger's face came into view, Eponine allowed a breath of relief to escape from her, a reaction she never thought she would have at the sight of Cosette's father. Because the stranger was indeed Jean Valjean. She nudged Enjolras, who looked like he was about to pass out again from the pain. Eponine wasn't that far behind.

"Monsieur!" croaked out Eponine, waving her uninjured hand above her head feebly. ValJean rushed over to them. The last thing she heard before passing out again was Valjean's voice. "Don't worry, Mademoiselle. You and you friend will be all right."

The next time Eponine opened her eyes, she found herself in a beautifully-decorated room. She was lying on a canopy bed, with a mattress softer than she had ever known mattresses could be, and her head rested on a down pillow. Her injured hand felt strange. She looked down.

Her hand had been wrapped in a gauzy material, and her shoulder and been wrapped similarly. She struggled to sit up, but a gentle hand held her down. "Don't overexert yourself, 'Ponine. You're still healing." Her heart stopped. She would know that voice anywhere, even if her hadn't used his special nickname for her.

"Monsieur Marius!" Eponine breathed in shock.

His face was as kind and handsome as she remembered it was when she had been dying- or so they both thought- in his arms. Though instead of the grief like last time, there was relief- and something else. Uncertainty? Her face flushed as she remembered all she had confessed before she had passed out, and she dropped her gaze.

"I-I apologize, Monsieur." Eponine murmured. "I didn't realize where I was at first."

"You have nothing to apologize for, 'Ponine." Marius replied softly. "I'm just thankful you're all right." He put his hand under her chin, and forced Eponine to look back at him. Her heart skipped a beat, even as she reminded herself he had touched her like that all the time. It didn't mean anything.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and a vision of beauty that could only be Cosette walked in. Marius hastily yanked his hand away from Eponine's chin. The blonde's green eyes were like chips of ice as they landed on Eponine. Eponine immediately dropped her gaze again.

Marius stood nervously. "Hello, my dear. As you can see, Eponine has just awakened. Isn't that good news?"

Cosette smiled without warmth. "That IS good news indeed." Her tone was as cold as her eyes. "She seems to be making a speedy recovery, doesn't she? She will be up and about in no time, I'm sure."

Marius nodded in agreement. "That is what we're praying for."

Cosette continued as if she hadn't heard him. "And then she can be on her way, ready to make her mark on the world."

"Wait a minute, my dear!" Marius protested. "'Ponine has just woken up. Besides, she's my friend. She's welcome here however long she desires."

Cosette suppressed a glare as she stared at Marius. "Well, then as soon as she's able to get around, she should at least be of some help! My father DID save her life, along with the revolutionary's!" Marius opened his mouth to protest, but Eponine intervened before he could say anything.

"Of course. As soon as I'm able, I'd be glad to be of service." Cosette smiled sweetly at Marius. "See? She's not complaining; I don't see why you are." Marius' lips thinned, but he didn't respond. Cosette's eyes lit up with a malicious light. "I've an idea. She can help with our wedding plans. I doubt they'll overtax her." She looked smugly down at Eponine. "She can even be my maid of honor. It's not like I know anyone else, anyway."

Eponine's heart sunk at Cosette's words. So they were still getting married. But of course they were; she was nothing compared to the beauteous Cosette. However, all she murmured was, "I am honored, Mademoiselle."

As if Eponine had said nothing, Cosette turned back to Marius. "Your friend- the revolutionary- is healing as well, though not as fast as 'Ponine here." Marius' nickname for Eponine sounded twisted in Cosette's mouth.

Marius seemed to notice nothing. "That is great. I better welcome Enjolras back to the world of the living." He strode out of the room, leaving Cosette and Eponine alone. The indulgent smile immediately disappeared from Cosette's face.

Eponine shrunk back in her sheets as Cosette leaned in her face. "Now," she began softly. "I don't remember much from my past, but I do remember you. You tortured me just as bad as your parents did. But now the tide has turned." She sneered. "And I've heard of your little fantasy for Marius. However, I'm warning you now, he will never look at you the way he does me. I'm a well-bred lady; you're nothing more than a streetrat. You would do well to remember that."

With that, Cosette turned gracefully on her heel and left the room, leaving Eponine staring miserably after her.


	3. Chapter 3

As the days passed, both Eponine and Enjolras grew stronger, and soon enough they were able to walk, almost fully recovered. Eponine's hand had been repaired as much as it could be, and her shoulder was almost fully healed. Unfortunately, that meant Cosette was able to make them work half to death on wedding preparations. (Enjolras had been made Marius' best man). Cosette hadn't said much to Eponine since the day she had woken up (save for snapping orders at her), for which Eponine was grateful.

She hadn't told Marius what Cosette had said, partly because she was afraid he wouldn't believe her, and partly because she was ashamed. Cosette had been right about one thing- Eponine DID bully her when they were children. Besides, even if she were inclined to tell him, she wouldn't have been able to. Cosette had kept him busy with his own jobs for the wedding, all of which seemed to keep him far away from Eponine.

Enjolras, whom Eponine had grown close to in a purely platonic way, objected to Cosette's treatment of Eponine, and Marius' involvement with her as well. "I do not understand what he sees in that woman." Enjolras grumbled as he tied a ribbon around the hundredth invitation. "They do say that love is blind, but I never knew what that meant until now."

"If Marius loves her, then there must be something worthwhile about her." Eponine said matter-of-factly.

"That's the thing. I don't think Marius loves her. He obviously doesn't even know her!" Enjolras snapped. "If he knew how she treated you, he would never stand for it!"

Eponine squashed down the hope she felt that what Enjolras said was true. She couldn't afford that. She opened her mouth to defend Marius' choice once more when Cosette swept into the room with her usual grace, with Marius close behind.

"Good news and bad news, lady and gentleman." Cosette informed them. "Good news, you both are done with the invitations. Bad news, my father has planned a pre-wedding ball that takes place tonight. He has only seen fit to inform me now."

"How is that bad news, Mademoiselle?" asked Enjolras. "Balls seem like your type of event." He said this with such perfect politeness, if Eponine hadn't known his true feelings, she would have thought he had no problem with Cosette.

Cosette sniffed. "Usually I would agree, but both you and Eponine are invited to attend." She quickly plastered on a fake smile as she added, "Which I'm thrilled about of course, but this IS a black-tie event, and neither you or Eponine here are ready."

Marius spoke up at this point. "Enjolras can wear a suit of mine, and 'Ponine can wear something of yours, can she not?"

Cosette stared at him in thinly veiled horror for a moment before replying. "But surely all my things will be a bit big on her?" Eponine looked down, blushing slightly, while Marius looked at her thoughtfully. "No, I don't think so. You two seem to be almost the same size. Any difference there may be won't be noticeable."

Although she looked furious, Cosette had no choice but to comply. "Very well, dear. We must hurry get Eponine ready then." And with a sly glance at Eponine, Cosette brought her mouth down on Marius', making out with him for several seconds before coming back up for air. Eponine's heart contracted painfully as she turned away to hide her tears. Marius would never see her as a woman, especially next to a graceful lady such as Cosette.

"I cannot wait until we are to be wed, my Marius." Cosette whispered seductively to a beet-red Marius. Enjolras snorted audibly, which made Eponine look up at him. Enjolras' eyes were blazing, angrier than she had ever seen him, even in the heat of the battle. He had opened his mouth to speak, but Eponine laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down before he blew and alienated Marius with his sharp tongue.

Enjolras shot her a dark look, but seemed to get the message. Although thin-lipped, he didn't say a word as he followed Marius out of the room, presumably to get dressed for the party. For some reason, both Marius and Cosette's flickered between Eponine and Enjolras several times. Although confused by this, Eponine said nothing.

Once both men were out of the room, Cosette eyed Eponine maliciously. "You'll need a bath and a haircut before I even let you touch any of my nice clothes."

Eponine kept her eyes down, but inside she was burning with anger. Yes, Eponine was a brat to Cosette in their youth, but that was years ago! Eponine had paid dearly over and over again since! How much longer would Eponine have to suffer before she was forgiven for everything?

Eponine followed Cosette to the bathing room, hoping things would get better soon. They had to get better sometime, didn't they?

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys! Juggling a bunch of things at the moment! Next chapter we'll see Valjean properly, Eponine all dolled up, and some real Marius/Eponine interaction! :) Also, thanks to all the reviews I have gotten so far, either good or bad. I appreciate them. However, I do want to add that this fanfic is based completely on the musical, and is not intended to be a reflection of the book. In the musical, we don't see nearly as much character development from Cosette as we do Eponine, and so I have taken certain liberties with Cosette's character. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

A few minutes later, yet another spout of water was spat from Eponine's mouth as Cosette overturned what seemed like the thousandth bucket of water over her head.

"Sorry, _'Ponine, _but you are quite filthy. It's going to take a lot to clean you up properly." Cosette sneered.

Eponine's eyes flashed as she glared up at the blonde with a rare show of defiance. "You are NOT to call me that!"

Cosette's eyes widened in mock innocence. "Call you what? 'Ponine? Why not? Marius calls you that."

"Yes, but he is the only one allowed to call me that, as he is the only one that has called me that for years!" Eponine retorted angrily. "He is in fact the one who came up with it in the first place! As such, I believe- "

Eponine was forced to stop talking as another bucket of water was poured over her head. "Yes, that is true." Cosette responded. "However, as his betrothed, I am granted all the same rights and privileges as he does." Cosette paused before continuing. "However, if it's truly that much of a problem for you, you can always bring it up with him if you wish."

"Maybe I will!" Eponine returned angrily. Cosette continued on as if Eponine hadn't spoken.

"However, then I would have no choice but to confess to Marius every single detail about our youth in return. How long do you think he'll tolerate you if he finds out you stood aside and watched in content as his beloved was abused in so many ways?" Cosette began scrubbing at Eponine's body, perfectly relaxed. She knew she had the upper hand.

Eponine's fiery glare immediately disappeared, and she slumped in defeat. "I-I-"

"Precisely." Cosette leaned down and pushed her face right into Eponine's. "And your presence here is incredibly awkward for him as it is."

"W-What do you mean?" Eponine stammered.

Cosette smirked, shaking her head in mock sympathy. "My dear, because of your foolish confession at the barricades, Marius now knows exactly how you feel about him."

Eponine stomach roiled unpleasantly. Seeing the look of horror on Eponine's face, the blonde's smirk widened. "Yes, he told me all about that. At the time, he thought you were dead, so he went on about it much more, I think, than he would have if he had been aware that you had survived."

Eponine shook her head slowly, as if to deny what she was hearing as truth. Cosette went on ruthlessly. "He pities you, you know. He feels sorry for the street urchin that fell head over heels for him, as if he could ever feel the same way about such a sorry thing such as yourself."

Eponine's eyes filled with tears, and as much as she tried to stop them, they eventually slipped silently down her cheeks. She was roughly yanked to her feet by Cosette as the cold beauty went on to the next topic without a care.

"You're as clean as you're going to get. A good few inches of your hair will have to be chopped. There's no help for the tangles in them, and you must look nice for my father's guests."

"What guests are going to be there, anyway?" Eponine asked glumly, more to take her mind off her pain than out of real curiosity. "I was under the impression you and your father kept to yourselves too often to make enough acquaintances to warrant an entire ball."

Cosette sniffed. "My father's made some friends over the years that's he's invited. The members of the church where he was saved are all invited, as well as the late Bishop Muriel's protegee, who was there at the time Papa was saved. The man who he saved from a runaway cart is invited with all of his family and friends. Papa also got in touch with his sister and her children, who miraculously survived starvation as well."

As if she has just noticed she was speaking to Eponine without the required amount of malice in her voice, Cosette looked down at Eponine. "So yes, street rat, we are not entirely hermits." Cosette started in on Eponine's hair without another word, while Eponine prayed to God that Cosette wouldn't completely butcher it- the first time Eponine prayed for something so trivial for sure, as her life was usually too fraught with travesty to even think about how she looked.

Meanwhile in Marius' bedroom, where he and Enjolras were getting ready themselves, Marius was looking at Enjolras warily. They hadn't been friends for so long without Marius knowing when Enjolras was angry. But usually, Enjolras had no problem communicating his anger.

"What is wrong, old friend?" Marius inquired. "Is it what happened with the barricades?" Marius strode across the room and laid a comforting hand on his comrades' shoulder. "Enjolras, everyone fought as valiantly as they could, and of their own free will as well. Things have to change sometime. And they will."

Enjolras angrily shoved Marius away. "That's not why I'm angry, Marius!" He paused. "That has been bothering me as well, yes, but right now, it infuriates me how you're treating Eponine! How you've always treated Eponine!"

Marius reared back, as if struck. "Enjolras, I-"

Enjolras silenced him with a glare. "It's bad enough that you were so blind before that you didn't have one inkling that the girl was in love with you! That you made her show you the way to Cosette, and used her like a carrier pigeon between the two of you. That she got shot and almost killed doing that!"

He took a deep breath, then continued. "But now that you know how she feels- which anyone with eyes had seen plainly for years, I might add- you haven't spent more than a few minutes with her in the few weeks since we've arrived!"

Feeling sick to his stomach, Marius tried to explain. "Enjolras, what do you want me to do? I'm betrothed to Cosette! The only reason you and Eponine are alive- the only reason I'M alive- if because of her father's hospitality and kindness! How would it look, how selfish would it be, to run off with Eponine now, after all Valjean has done for us all?"

Enjolras froze. "Does that mean you return Eponine's feelings?"

Marius had never felt so conflicted before. "I-I don't know! I haven't allowed myself to think about it, for all the reasons I just gave you."

Enjolras stepped closer to Marius. "Marius, it's just me and you. If you could go back and change things without any repercussions, which girl would you choose? Cosette or Eponine?"

Marius put his head in his hands. "I don't know." he whispered. Little did either of the men know, however, than Valjean was listening right outside the door.

**A/N: Okay, I lied. The ball is going to happen next chapter, along with everything I promised in the last A/N. Sorry, the confrontation between Enjolras and Marius had popped into my head unexpectedly, and it was too good to pass up! :D R&R's are always welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

I sent something similar to the below to Chasten through PM, but it turned into such a long rant/explanation, I figured I would share it with all of you as well, especially for those who might be confused about the character of Cosette and/or parts of the plot. So here goes!

Thanks for your thoughtful reviews! For those who commented about their happiness about my chosen pairings, I'm glad you like them! :)

Addressing Cosette's attitude, I do admit that I strongly identify with Eponine's unrequited love issues in RL, with makes it very easy (and somewhat unfair, I admit) for me to paint Cosette as an evil bitch while making Eponine a saint. When I was starting out, I was even planning to have her pushed off a cliff or something by the end! :D However, as I got into it, my plan changed in something fairer. (Somewhat fairer, anyway.)

Because we don't know much about her character development between her rescue from the Thenardiers (at least in the musical, since I haven't read the book, so...), I figured making her a bitch wasn't such a far-out idea. Because her only company WAS Valjean (thanks for the spelling correction, Chasten!) for a good 10 years, I figured her people skills wouldn't that good, especially when dealing with a girl who loves the same guy that she does (or THINKS she does, anyway). Throw in the ugly facts of their past, and it's a situation teeming with drama and yes, bitchiness.

I do strongly believe, however, that Marius/Cosette was Disney-fied through the roof. I do not believe in 'love at first sight' at all, as I believe love is more sacred than that, a powerful force that grows stronger and stronger with time. I believe in 'lust at first sight' (which doesn't last for long), and 'attraction at first sight' (which can lead to love after a while), but the way Marius/Cosette happened was completely unbelievable, especially since Marius seemed to be portrayed as a man that was usually not that affected by women or their wiles ('I am agog, I am aghast! Is Marius in love at last? I have never seen him ooh and ah!') For a character like him, it doesn't seem realistic to fall head over heels with a girl he just bumped into and locked eyes with for a minute at most.

Also, it's just not fair (or realistic) for a girl to have a love life THAT easy: Marrying the first guy that you've met only a few weeks afterwards? She hasn't had time to even develop a 'type'. On the surface, that might sound superficial of me, but it's important for girls to figure that out before they settle down. Eponine on the other hand, has probably met plenty of different guys, both bad (through her father's gang) and good (through the ABC cafe). Yet she CHOSE to fall for Marius. Cosette hasn't had the opportunity to choose Marius, only settle for him.

Although I do admit Eponine WAS mean to Cosette, at least enough to sit back and watch Cosette get abused and taunt her a little. However, she was a little kid, spoiled by her parents at that time. Since then, she's paid again and again for that. It's not fair to judge her for that when she's obviously changed. It's like Javert judging Valjean for his past for all their lives when Valjean obviously became a changed man.

[SPOILER ALERT]  
However, I AM planning for Cosette to settle down and become nicer. (She's not going to be pushed off a cliff or anything, anyway.) Right now she's acting out of severe jealousy, confusion, and resentment. As she truly falls in love though, she'll become softer in nature.

As for the ball situation, it's true they probably led gypsy lives. However, I'm having it so Valjean got in touch with these acquaintances after his discovery of Javert's suicide, after he realizes he's truly free. According to Google, he was only 64 years old when he died, so, in true AU style, I'm making it so he is NOT close to death, at least for a good while. :) (Although I had a hard time thinking about how to incorporate that into it.)

Also, I'm writing this fanfic completely based off the musical, not the book. As I mentioned above, I haven't read the book. (Actually, that's a first for me. Usually, the book is the first thing I go to, THEN I see the movies/musicals based off them. But I have a hard time getting through older books, like classics. It's harder for me to relate, and the words/types of speech they use are difficult to understand. The only 'classic' I really like is "To Kill A Mockingbird".)

The answer to Chasten's question about whether I've seen the movie is YES! And I agree Samantha was phenomenal! Anne Hathaway was also great! However it confused me that Valjean went from looking like a Biblical shepherd to a somber Willy Wonka. I mean, how did that happen? :D

Anyway, thank you guys for your support. The next chapter should (hopefully) be up by the end of this week.


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